Except for the cattle markets, the CBOT was sharply lower to start the week with trade policy, favorable weather, and weak technicals and large noncommercial short positions weighing on market sentiment. Cattle futures managed to rise to new all-time highs after last week’s record-breaking cash trade, and livestock markets are the one area where funds remain solidly bullish. In grains and oilseeds, a lack of any bullish news and the aforementioned weak technicals triggered steep selling, with corn leading the way. Except for some mild weather concerns in parts of the EU and Black Sea and a seemingly early end to Brazil’s rainy season, there are few weather threats for the major growing regions, which is pressuring market sentime...
From WPI Consulting
Forecasting developments in production agriculture
On behalf of a private U.S. agricultural technology provider, WPI’s team generated an econometric model to forecast the movement of concentrated corn production north and west from the traditional U.S. Corn Belt. WPI’s model has subsequently provided quantitative support to a multi-million-dollar investment into short-season corn variety development. WPI’s methodology included a series of interviews with regional grain elevators and seed consultants. Emphasizing outreach and communication with stakeholders who possess intimate sectoral knowledge – on-the-ground insights – is a regular component of WPI’s methodologies, made possible by WPI’s ever-growing network of industry contacts.